This year we got six Star Wars fiction books. With the year winding down, what was your favorite Star Wars book of 2013?

Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn
The Last Jedi by Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void by Tim Lebbon
Crucible by Troy Denning
Kenobi by John Jackson Miller
Empire and Rebellion: Razor's Edge by Martha Wells_________________
"I believe toys resonate with us as humans, we can hold them them, it's tactile, real! They are totems for our extended beliefs and imaginations. A fetish for ideas that hold as much interest and passion as old religious relics for some. We display them in our homes. They show who we are. They are signals for similar thinking people. A way we connect with each other...and I guess thats why I do toys. That connection." -Ashley Wood

Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:52 pm

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Caedus_16Master

Joined: 15 Apr 2008Posts: 5226Location: Korriban

Well my copy of Crucible will arrive next week so I will have read...one of these.

Crap, I'm way behind._________________Perfection is a lifelong pursuit requiring sacrifice. The only way to get it quicker is to sacrifice the most.

Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:59 pm

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Taral-DLOSMaster

Joined: 23 Nov 2010Posts: 1943Location: Ontario, Canada

I'm surprised by the fact that I've read none of these.

I bought The Last Jedi, and I wanted to buy Into the Void (I really like the Dawn of the Jedi stuff). But I haven't read a Star Wars novel this year. Crazy._________________"I'm...from Earth."

I only read Crucible. I started Scoundrels, but didn't finish it. I meant to read Kenobi, but never got around to it._________________
Where sky and water meet,
Where the waves grow sweet,
Doubt not, Reepicheep,
To find all you seek,
There is the utter east.

Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 9:48 pm

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GrandMasterMaster

Joined: 26 Aug 2011Posts: 628Location: Earth Jedi Temple

Wow, I actually read all the new releases this year.

If I have to chose a favorite, it would probably be Scoundrels. I loved the concept of a Star Wars Ocean's Eleven when it was first announced, and the novel lived up to my expectations.

Crucible and Kenobi on the other hand did not live up to my expectations - I expected more Kenobi in Kenobi, and Crucible suddenly became the last book of the post-ROTJ timeline, and so was not prepared to offer any sense of finality.

The Last Jedi is the only one I didn't purchase - I hadn't liked the Coruscant Knights trilogy, so I decided to get it from the library. Again, did not like this - Jax Pavan was not a compelling character to me, and I don't think this book was at all necessary.

Razor's Edge was okay, and that's really all I have to say about it.

Biggest surprise of the year: Into the Void. I haven't read any of the Dawn of the Jedi comics, but this was a story by a new SW author, with characters and settings completely unfamiliar to me, that I really enjoyed.

1) Scoundrels
2) Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void
3) Kenobi
4) Crucible
5) Empire and Rebellion: Razor's Edge - although these last three are almost a tie
6) The Last Jedi_________________"But it was so artistically done."

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"Shaken, not stirred, will get you cold water with a dash of gin and dry vermouth. The reason you stir it with a special spoon is so not to chip the ice. James is ordering a weak martini and being snooty about it."

Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 11:28 pm

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Darth_HenningMaster

Joined: 12 Apr 2011Posts: 577Location: Canada

I think this is the first year since the 90s when we've gotten only 6 adult novels in the space of a year. I'm going to have to check that.

My rankings:

1. Scoundrels
2. Kenobi
3. The Last Jedi
4. Crucible
5. Razors Edge

Not ranked - Into the Void

In fact, Into the Void was so bad that it is the first Star Wars novel that I have never read past the second chapter.

EDIT:

I stand corrected. While there have been fewer star wars novels the lasst 2 years compared to 2007-2011, its actually pretty much on par with an average year in the EU for adult novels.

I've just been used to some very spoiled times with volume of releases lately. My bad.

Having intending to read all of those, I only got round to reading two. In order:

Scoundrels
Crucible_________________I am a Star Wars fan. That doesn't mean that I hate or love Jar Jar. That doesn't mean I hate or love Lucas, or agree or disagree 100% with him. That doesn't mean I prefer the PT over the OT, or vice versa. That doesn't mean I hate the EU, or even love all of it (or even read all of it). These are not prerequisites. Being a man is not a prerequisite. Being a geek is not a prerequisite. The only prerequisite is that I love something about Star Wars. I am a Star Wars fan.

Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 10:04 am

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Darth SkuldrenModerator

Joined: 04 Feb 2008Posts: 6844Location: Missouri

The Star Wars addict in me cannot comprehend how anyone can pass up a new Star Wars book. I read all of them, and some more than once.

Scoundrels - was my least favorite Star Wars book this year. For me, the characterizations of Han and Lando just weren't very engaging. I think Timothy Zahn did a much better job with Han in Choices of One. Plus I thought the plot points in the book were overly convoluted and I found myself not caring about what was going on. The best part of the book was the twist at the end, but I had to slug my way through to get there.

The Last Jedi - I like the Coruscant Nights series, so I enjoyed this one. It was sad though, and I think they shouldn't have killed who they killed. It's going to hurt the potential of the series going forward (assuming it continues). There were some really good parts though, and overall I liked it.

Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void - before reading this, I read a short story anthology by Tim Lebbon and was very disappointed. So I went into this one with low expectations and was rewarded with a really good book. This one deserves a sequel and I hope they'll keep Tim Lebbon around for a few more Dawn of the Jedi books.

Crucible - I'm in the minority of the fan community, but I loved this book. It was the craziest Star Wars book I've ever read and it was just so much fun. I was so surprised to see only that other leading members of the fan community despised this book that I had to go back and read it again just to make sure I didn't miss something. I enjoyed the second time as much as the first, so I stand by my opinion. This is my favorite Star Wars book of the year, and one of my favorite Denning novels of all time.

Kenobi - you couldn't help but go into this novel with high expectations, and since I was blown away by how good Knight Errant was, John Jackson Miller had a really high bar to meet. Personally, I think he nailed it. Kenobi was great, and I didn't mind that Obi-Wan had to share the spotlight with other characters. At the end of the book, I wanted to find out what happened next for new characters, especially Annileen.

Empire and Rebellion: Razor's Edge - this was another book I went into with high expectations because I started reading other books by Martha Wells and I enjoyed them a lot (her Raksura series is some tremendously imaginative storytelling). I enjoyed the book, but I have to admit it wasn't on par with my enjoyment of say Kenobi or Into the Void. I definitely liked it a lot better than Scoundrels, but maybe not as much as The Last Jedi. It was a small scale story, a self-contained adventure, and with a nice focus on Leia. Han got some attention too, and there was a nice story about pirates (good pirate, bad pirates and even gray pirates). I'm not sure I could nail down what kept it from being better, but it wasn't a bad book._________________
"I believe toys resonate with us as humans, we can hold them them, it's tactile, real! They are totems for our extended beliefs and imaginations. A fetish for ideas that hold as much interest and passion as old religious relics for some. We display them in our homes. They show who we are. They are signals for similar thinking people. A way we connect with each other...and I guess thats why I do toys. That connection." -Ashley Wood

The Star Wars addict in me cannot comprehend how anyone can pass up a new Star Wars book.

Purely monetary reasons. If I had my own way, I'd have them all._________________I am a Star Wars fan. That doesn't mean that I hate or love Jar Jar. That doesn't mean I hate or love Lucas, or agree or disagree 100% with him. That doesn't mean I prefer the PT over the OT, or vice versa. That doesn't mean I hate the EU, or even love all of it (or even read all of it). These are not prerequisites. Being a man is not a prerequisite. Being a geek is not a prerequisite. The only prerequisite is that I love something about Star Wars. I am a Star Wars fan.

Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 8:31 am

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Taral-DLOSMaster

Joined: 23 Nov 2010Posts: 1943Location: Ontario, Canada

Life Is The Path wrote:

Quote:

The Star Wars addict in me cannot comprehend how anyone can pass up a new Star Wars book.

Purely monetary reasons. If I had my own way, I'd have them all.

Mine has been that my fandom shifted to Marvel comics. Which, in turn, has bled my wallet dry.

Also, I realized that several previous books I'd read (mostly comics like Dark Times and the new Star Wars ongoing) weren't very good, and I was wasting money on things I didn't enjoy. And for novels, I was buying hardcovers because I prefer that format at crazy-expensive costs, and the not reading the book for weeks or months._________________"I'm...from Earth."